1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hood system providing convenient adjustment, good protection, comfort and flexibility of movement.
2. Statement of the Problem
Hoods for outerwear garments typically have a face opening and a drawstring provided in the passageway around the periphery of the face opening. The ends of the drawstring extend out of the passageway and are used to adjust the size of the face opening. When the ends of the drawstring are pulled and tightened, the face opening of the hood is made smaller, and no other adjustment of the hood, not in the lateral or in the vertical or in the longitudinal direction, is available to accommodate the wearer""s head size or movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,647 issued Jun. 1, 1954 to Gossner discloses a hood having an external buckle and strap arrangement for providing vertical adjustment of the hood to adjust the forward edge of the hood with respect to the face of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,567,192 issued September 1951 to DeGrazia discloses a hood adjustment having an oversized head covering portion with an inverted xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d-shaped channel at the rear of the hood that contains a drawstring secured at each end of the inverted xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d. The free end of each drawstring is pulled separately or in conjunction with the second drawstring so that the anchored ends are drawn toward each other and then pull the central portion of the hood down toward the base of the neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,560,598 issued Jul. 17, 1951 to Rinis discloses a crisscrossing shoelace-type lacing arrangement at the rear neck area of a parka hood on opposing external flaps. This lacing arrangement provides primarily lateral adjustment of the hood in the base of the neck area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,809 issued Dec. 6, 1994 to Hall, depicted in FIG. 1, discloses a hood system having a pair of elasticized drawstrings 16 fixed at the two temple areas 18 of the wearer and extending through passageways 14 along the sides of the crown area 19 to the area corresponding to the nape of the neck 20, where they exit at the lower rear portion of the hood 10. Operation of the drawstrings is intended to provide vertical and lateral adjustability around the head of the wearer. This subsystem has several disadvantages. Adjustment of the hood is inconvenient because manipulation of the pair of drawstrings must be performed at the back of the head. As the drawstrings are tightened, the back panel of the hood is drawn together; in addition, the vertical length of the back panel and the longitudinal length of the top are shortened. As a result, the wearer is restricted in movement. Both bending of the head at the neck (flexion) and twisting of the head by rotation at the neck (torsion) become limited as a result of tightening. Furthermore, for the hood to be used practically, a second drawstring system around the periphery of the face opening must be provided and operated.
European Patent Application by Aumann, Publication No. 0673609A1, describes a hood in which the volume is adjusted by a drawstring located at the center of the top and by drawstrings on each side of the hood. The top drawstring adjusts the lateral width of the top of the hood. The side drawstrings are positioned horizontally or diagonally to adjust the size of the side panels. Adjusting the shape and volume of the hood, therefore, requires manipulation of three or more drawstrings. Reducing the top panel of the hood causes a pinching together of the hood at the forehead of the wearer and results in distortion of a hood visor, if present. Adjustment of the sides of the hood is unidirectional, resulting in unbalanced adjustment of the shape and volume of the hood. As a result, a good fit may be difficult to achieve, and flexion and torsion of the wearer is inhibited.
A conventional hood 50 is depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3. It is characterized by a drawstring 52 disposed around the periphery 54 of face opening 56 and in a passageway 58 around the neck of the wearer at a position corresponding to a collar. As the part of the drawstring around the face opening is tightened, the peripheral vision of the wearer is reduced. As part of the drawstring in passageway 58 is tightened, flexion and torsion of the head is restricted. Furthermore, adjustment of the drawstrings does not adjust the volume or shape of the hood, it merely adjusts the tightness of the drawstring seams about the head of the wearer.
The invention provides a simple, effective hood system, especially useful for outerwear, for example, for athletic jackets and winter coats.
A hood system in accordance with the invention comprises a hood and a drawstring arrangement. The hood includes flexible material and has a back, a top, and two sides, with a volume and a shape for covering the back area, the top area and the side areas of a wearers head. The hood further has a face opening for exposing the wearers face, wherein the top has a top forward edge, each side has a side forward edge, and the top forward edge and the two side forward edges partly define the face opening.
The drawstring arrangement simultaneously adjusts the shape and volume of the hood on the wearer""s head in directions having longitudinal, lateral and vertical components. The drawstring arrangement includes a front drawstring passageway in each side of the hood extending from the temple region and extending downwards along the edge of the face opening and then curving backwards in the lower region, where it has a first drawstring opening. The drawstring arrangement also includes a back passageway in each side of the hood, having one end at the top and extending backwards and curving downwards in the rear region and then curving forward in the lower region towards the first drawstring opening. The back passageway has a second drawstring opening near the first drawstring opening. The drawstring arrangement has a drawstring disposed in the front passageway and the back passageway in each side of the hood. Each drawstring has a first fixed end attached to the upper end of the front passageway, and a second fixed end attached to the top end of the back passageway. Also, each drawstring has an exposed section between the first drawstring opening and the second drawstring opening in the lower region of each side of the hood. The exposed section is easily accessible for manipulation to adjust the volume and the shape of the hood. Because the drawstring extends in all directions around the side of the head, adjustment of each drawstring results in a balanced compression of the flexible material in each side panel. Thus, the shape and volume of the hood is adjusted in a balanced manner, resulting in good protection of the head against outside elements and a comfortable fit. In contrast with hoods in the prior art, the back of a hood in accordance with the invention is not compressed when the drawstrings are tightened. As a result, flexion (bending of the head at the neck) and torsion (twisting of the head by rotation at the neck) movement of the head wearing a hood is not restricted. The top of the hood also is not compressed. As a result, the width of the face opening is not significantly affected, and the peripheral vision of the wearer is not reduced. The good fit and mobility achieved by a hood system in accordance with the invention may be enhanced if the drawstring is an elastic cord, and also when the passageways, especially the front passageways, comprise stretch material.
Numerous other features and advantages of a hood system in accordance with the invention will become apparent in the description below.